#also when will we come to agree that just because something is about lesbians doesn’t mean it’s Good

[captainfantasticalright]

1967: you go too fast for me Crowley, or the year the Wolfenden report actually came into effect.

It is no secret that in 1957 the Wolfenden Committee recommended the decriminalisation of private homosexual activity between consenting adults over the age of 21, but with heavier penalties against homosexual activity in public places.

This is precisely what Anathema thinks of when she comments in the book that her book had been left in the back of the car of 'two consenting cycle repairmen'.

Not only does that inform us as readers that the characters within the book perceive Crowley and Aziraphale as being a couple, especially by the (arguably) cleverest witch in the book, but also that their appearances (physical corporations) do in fact look older than 21 years old. (the age of consent)*

*It would take until the 2000s for the age of consent to be equalised, and for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender personnel to be able to serve openly in the armed forces.

But coming back to the term 'consenting' and the significance within the overall plot of Good Omens series-wise is the fact that they chose 1967, precisely 10 years later after the Wolfenden report and the year the Sexual Offences Act was passed (which decriminalised private homosexual acts between men aged over 21 in England and Wales, while at the same time imposing heavier penalties on street offences) as a crucial point in storytelling.

This is the last scene we see of them after the montage; this is precisely the point where Aziraphale makes that big, first move towards Crowley and manifests himself inside of the Bentley to protect him from a burglary that could have ended in disaster. This is Aziraphale stepping outside from his own box and venturing into admitting that yes, he would enjoy Crowley's company as more than just an Arrangement. He would like the picnics, he would like to dine openly with him.

And this comes precisely at a time, a real world setting where even the Archbishop of Canterbury agreed, saying: “There is a sacred realm of privacy ... into which the law, generally speaking, must not intrude" (referring to homosexuality).

Although we know Aziraphale and Crowley are not men, but rather men-shaped beings of the world, there is something to be said about how the 1967 act reflects on Aziraphale's 'heavenly' beliefs and how that can be attributed not only to homosexuality*, but also a realm of privacy where neither Heaven or Hell (religion itself) need to interfere with his affairs.

*we do know, however, how much the book and tv series lean into Aziraphale being 'gay', at least in our human understanding of labels and categorizing even though he is not; "pansy" "nancy boys" "gayer than a treeful of monkeys on nitrous oxide" (this one specifically marking Aziraphale canonically in the book as appearing to be a homosexual) "you've got the wrong shop" among others.

A real life anecdote from the time says: John Carter was 17 at the time and doesn’t have a clear memory of the bill passing; he only realised the significance of the change with hindsight. He came out in the early 70s, after making contact with his university’s gay society, which wouldn’t have existed were it not for decriminalisation. “It meant that people could meet … and freely associate.” That was crucial, he says, because, “if you don’t even have a space where you can go, then people are cruising, they’re cottaging * ... It took many years for people who had been constantly looking over their shoulder, being worried, to develop proper ways of relating to each other. Ways that were not just based on sex or compromise or fear.”

*(No, cottaging is not living in a cottage)

No matter that the law had been passed, there was still a lot of stigma surrounding the word 'homosexual'. It wasn't until the 80s and 90s that it stopped being a crime in Scotland and Ireland; being further stigmatized with the AIDS crisis in the late 80s.

Regardless of the nature of the open confession Aziraphale lays bare to Crowley in 1967, it most definitely can be read as a 'coming out' for him. Perhaps not dealing with sexuality directly, but with religion layered on top of that. It is still too fast despite of the year, in spite of the millennia worked together under false pretenses. But it is an exterior, real life push that reinforces the idea for him to see that- if humans are able to recognize that man could be with man and not call it a crime, why could that same thinking not be applied to an angel and a demon living on Earth?

Aziraphale is doing more than blurting his heart out, he is openly hoping for the time that matches 1967 in its decriminalisation of homosexuality to one that applies for him and Crowley. So the thermos, the "better not" say thank you just yet, is a lingering promise to be there for when it finally happens. One which Crowley accepts with bare, open hands.

[paigebueckersmommy]

maybe not enemies pt.1 - p.b

paige bueckers x fem!roomate! reader

warnings: enemies to lovers, drinking, mean paige kinda?, 1st person

a/n: i am well aware the team rooms togther but act like they don’t for this fic 🥰 also i hate this with every bone in my body.

you and paige had met briefly a few times. all you knew was you two weren’t into the same things.

it was the start of my senior year of college, and i had always taken my academics seriously, but i needed to take them more serious this year, and geting roomed with the schools biggest party animal, caused problems.

i began unpacking the suit case on my bed, waiting for my roomate to arrive. they sent an email with dorm assignments, which your roomate obviously hadn’t seen.

when i heard the door open, i snapped head. “fuck.” you heard a attractive voice say, which you didn’t wanna admit was attractive. “i’m not happy about this either.” you say making eye contact with the blonde.

“how’d you know?” paige says setting stuff down on her bed, “they sent an email.” i say looking back at my stuff.

“well, the best way to handle being roomed with the most boring person on earth, is if we agree to not talk unless it’s needed.” paige said, with an look of annoyance on her face. “agreeed, just please don’t be loud.” you say rolling your eyes, “k.”

time skip to a couple months later

you could tell paige was a little confused by your style when she mostly only ever saw you wearing hoodies, sweatpants and leggings, but tonight was diffrent.

you were standing infront of the mirror on a saturday night, putting lipgloss on. wearing a mini skirt and a mesh long sleeve, a black lacey bra underneath.

“where you going? shouldn’t you be studying or sum shit.” paige said looking you up and down from her bed. “why would it matter to you? but for your infortntion i’m going to a bar with my friends.” i say, looking back at her.

“oh my god!!! she has friends everyone!!” paige says acting suprised, not very good acting. “just because i care about my academics more than you doesn’t make me a nerd.”

“oh please, admit you’re just stating and don’t have any friends.” paige says cocking her head, when jsut then you heard a knock on your door. you opened it, your friends head peaking thru the door. “you almost rea- hey. wanna come?” your friend says, making eye contact with paige mid sentence.

“oh? inviting me? fuck it, yea lemme get dressed.”

you step out of your dorm room, shocked by the interaction. “damn. she barley talks to me i don’t know why she’d wanna come out with-“ you stopped mid sentence when paige walked out of your dorm. she was wearing white pants and a pink crop top, you had only ever seen her wear basketball gear so you were a little shocked at this.

“mm.. she knows how to dress everyone.” you say matching paige’s pace in the hallway as two of your friends were a little in front of you.

“oh i know your not talking. this is the 3rd time ive ever seen you not wear a hoodie. probobly why you don’t have a boyfriend yet.”

“b-boyfriend? i’m sorry, what makes you think i like men?” you say crooking your head words paige, curious. “o-oh i’m sorry, i just-“

“your good. i get a lot that i look straight.. but im lesbian.” you say with a soft smile making eye contact with paige, as you realize she’s also smiling.

“hm. good to know.” paige says, looking your outfit up and down, and that’s whe your mind began spinning.

did i like paige? was she trying to tell me something? were we, not enemies?

you put those thoughts to the side as you reached the doors of the bar. it was a saturday night, so it was crowded but not as crowded as it is on fridays. you, paige and your two friends found spots at the bar, paige sitting next to you as she ordered a round of shots for you two without even asking what you wanted.

“oh? thank you? your not being mean to me for once?” you say out of confusion before downing the shot. “mmm. you don’t look half as bad tonight.”

“could say the same about you.”

pt 2 soon!!!

[the-sappho-of-lesbos]

I know it’s entirely hypocritical of me and doesn’t really make much sense.

But I’ve just reached an age where it makes me really sad and a bit frustrated when I see women who publish books about m/m romances when they themselves talk about being bisexual or lesbian.

They can write whatever they want and they do often write really beautiful ones, obviously because I’m reading them (which is where the hypocrisy comes in ) but it still makes me sad. You didn’t want to write about us ? About a group you say you are apart of ? The first published book you are putting into the world you don’t want to it be about those who are like you?

There is one author who has published her first book and I want to read it because it sounds really good. But it’s also upsetting me because I remember a few years ago she was talking about how bi and lesbian women shouldn’t be shamed for reading m/m fiction because there isn’t a lot of f/f fiction out there and like I agree I don’t think they should be shamed for it. But how you can say that (I mean I don’t agree with it but it was obviously something she believed to be true ) and then NOT add more f/f fiction into the world ??

I understand there is probably a multitudeof reasons like internalised homophobia, backgrounds in fanfiction, believing f/f fiction won’t sell as well, f/f books not being picked up as often, internalised sexism etc.

But it just makes me feel gross. Especially when I look at these stories and think “we could of had this plot but with sapphics ???????!!”

But it really does annoy me. As much as it makes me a raging inconsistent hypocrite who has no room to talk

[nquesoxlies]

Hi, how are you? I don't know if it counts as an ask, but I saw someone venting or something like that here, and I would like to do something similar.

First of all, Aisha Hinds, the woman you are! That episode was amazing. Aisha has a big talent! I think it’s in my top five episodes of the series. She really put in an effort, and it really paid off.

But let's move on to Buck and Tommy. The whole hookup and kitchen scene was wild. It was so sexy, so cute, and it finally gave us some angst and some clarity, although I have mixed feelings about the reasoning. The whole thing about being jealous of your partner's best friend is valid. I mean, the 7x04 "My attention?" now makes more sense because we know this is the beginning of Tommy being unsure who Buck actually wants. Buck and Eddie's relationship is viewed by some fans as romantic, so it’s not impossible for Tommy to see them as more than friends too, especially since he doesn’t have the same perspective as the viewers.

But then I can’t stop thinking that this reasoning might have been added because 9-1-1 finally wanted to shut Buddie down. And maybe it worked for some, but my god, they still believe Buddie is happening, even though 9-1-1 literally broke the 4th wall to say it's not going that way. It reminds me of that moment in Glee when Brittany and Sam wanted to date but Brittany broke the 4th wall and said, "lesbians of Twitter will be mad" if she and Sam got together.

On top of that, we have Aisha’s interview where she said the door for Buddie is closed and that it’s not the story the show wants to tell for Buck. And somehow, they still believe Buddie will be canon soon. Wow and they dare to talk to us about media literacy.

Speaking of interviews, I saw some people from both fandoms being scared or hopeful because of Tim’s interview. My honest opinion is that, with all due respect to Tim, we shouldn’t listen to anything that man says when he’s talking about what’s to come. I mean, he’s the producer of the show, so he can change his mind about something from day to day. And it’s not his first interview. A lot of things he previously mentioned never even happened in the show.

Also, I think I’m gonna puke when I say this, but I have to use one of the arguments BoBs used a lot. I don’t think Tim would spoil anything. I think that’s why he’s so distant and, I don’t know, skeptical about BuckTommy. They are literally in the middle of a "will they/won't they" storyline, and if Tim said they are in love, viewers would know they’re getting back together. But now, we have to wait and see.

Of course, they might not end up together and might not be endgame (which I really hope they are), but if it happens, I just hope they finally give Buck someone who loves him and whom he loves, because seeing him in yet another relationship would be so boring. The only thing I can’t justify or explain is Tim saying Buck needs to "find out who he is alone." I think we’ve seen enough of that. We already know he’s a great friend, an amazing firefighter, someone who loves his job, who is kind and selfless (mostly). We’ve been there. I don’t know if Tim forgets that or if it’s just his standard excuse, or whatever.

And finally, I would love to see ABC actually do something about those "journalists" who get screeners and share them with fans in their group chats. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen random people leak spoilers. I don’t know, I just think it’s really disrespectful to everyone involved in making the show and to the viewers because spoilers take away the excitement.

Wow, I didn’t think this would be so long. Sorry for any mistakes, English is not my first language.

I love your cheese blog and I hope you are well <3

English isn't your first language? I wouldn't have thought that at all! Your ask is well thought out and I agree with everything you said!

Biggest take away from you that I want to comment on is the argument that Tim won't/can't spoil anything. You're right. He's not going to come out and say, "yes, Tommy is the one for Buck." He'd not only ruin the ride but he would also piss a few fans off, a huge "No no" in Hollywood.

[howlsofbloodhounds]

Is yugo a proshipper/neutral? Genuine question because they’ve done some… questionable things in the past (shipping frans, using slurs they can’t claim in a comic (the f slur).

I mean I came across a post that said they were pretty chill with someone shipping epic with freaking Xgaster in march of this year and I was like??????? (Dude?? 1. That guy is an alternate version of your abusive father. 2. He’s basically Cross’s father (y’know your canonical best friend?)  who also abused by him. like what????)

(here the link btw https://www.tumblr.com/yugogeer012/745992208927293440/im-very-interested-in-how-yugo-reacts-to-the-fact?source=share )

And I find it weird that they seem to chill about that, but if you try and bring up epic in any way possible they lose it since they have unbridled hatred towards him and his fans. (bonus points when someone talks about shipping epic and cross, heck shipping epic with anyone male tends to make them annoyed, despite some early art depicting epic FLIRTING WITH METTATON) 

(also here the link: https://www.tumblr.com/sanicpluushy/761634810556039168/can-we-see-epicsans-flirtin-i-do-imagine?source=share ,

and my thoughts : https://www.tumblr.com/talonsirgo/761779011986800640/this-is-even-funnier-when-you-scroll-down-to?source=share)

I'm pretty sure they wiped Epic and his papyrus out of the comic just so they wouldn't have to deal with them anymore.

At this point i've already blocked them for their hostility towards all things epic/epic being gay/shipping him with xgaster and the whole frans stuff. I mean dude, even comyet is grossed out by anyone trying to ship ink with a gaster or his fathers (who are gasters and aren't even related by blood. Not that it matter tho, it's stil gross).

Come on yugo. You're better than this

(oooh btw did you se my where i @ you?? I found some pretty interesting analysis on cross thats been agreed upon by jakie herself, unfortunately it was done by the creator of dreamswap eugh.)

I don’t know if they are or not, because shipping Frans (or used to) and using f slurs while they actively seem to really really hate any gay ships but is very okay with lesbian ships seems a little strange. Potentially fetishizing perhaps, although maybe they’re just annoyed if they were constantly bombarded with sans x sans questions and stuff.

I don’t know Yugo, haven’t finished reading any of the Epictale content and i haven’t scrolled all through the blog, so I can’t say for sure. Maybe someone with more knowledge on this can chime in.

Although, after reading one of the links you sent me, i think you might’ve misread something.

The asker and yugo didn’t say they shipped Epic x XGaster or were okay with that, they say were okay with Epic Gaster x XGaster. No alternative sons being shipped with alternative fathers, although DILFs (im using this word just because they are both fathers not because i personally want to fuck them 💀) who are the same person are being shipped and yugo at least doesn’t mind or doesn’t care.

I don’t know what their issue is with their own characters and people liking them, but I think yugo probably needs to set some boundaries with fans if they haven’t already.

rather than getting annoyed when people inevitably ship best friends and one of them is their character who they make flirt with men, perhaps they should just ask people to not send them questions about sans x sans ships, or crepic if it really makes them that uncomfortable. and if anyone does, just delete the asks or comments or reblogs.

getting annoyed when people bring up or ask about the characters you made seems pretty strange to me, it’s just a sign that people really like your character enough to be obsessed with them, but i can understand if they got annoyed if epic was all anyone focused on and not any of the other characters. but in that case, they should probably just delete anything they get about epic (from fans) they don’t want to see or answer.

but to allow your emotions and fans like of your character to cause you to change a story, or erase or get rid of the character, just to spite the fans/character or just so you don’t have to deal with them seems very odd to me. perhaps yugo needs to take a step back from the Epictale “fanbase” and stop engaging with it.

they can’t control what fans do with their work and characters as soon as it leaves their own eyesight, and they’d be better off not stressing over it. and fans should respect them, and stop bringing fandom stuff to them like ships or asking their opinions on ships—no one needs a creator’s opinion on a ship.

epic is a different thing, since he’s literally a character in the story, and a sans at that—which of course means people will bring him up and ask about him. if they don’t want to answer anything about epic, they should make that very clear and then don’t answer. Not answer just to give annoyed, passive aggressive replies. I think it’s sad when creators allow a fanbase to taint and affect their feelings about their work.

{ @talonsirgo }

[prongsandpetals]

no one asked for this but i’m saying it anyway because i am tired of this grandpa.

i dont hate jegulus or their shippers. personally, it doesnt make sense to me and my moral compass trickles into fiction meaning i dont have much interest in any of the slytherins. it could also be the fact that when people would create oc’s for james in their fics 10 yrs ago and made lily a raging bitch id be fighting them all in the comments- a fight or flight response that now has spread to jegulus- but thats neither here nor there. it brings people joy and they are fictional characters, and it doesnt physically hurt anyone!

but there is something to be said about some of the less savoury implications it has had on the fandom. it feels as though jily is in its own subfandom sort of pushed to the side, leaving two mlm ships to dominate. unfortunately a lottt of female characters have been forgotten or pushed aside because of this. a lot of people who joined the fandom not that long ago either dont know or forget that this fandom was not built on either wolfstar (who i love), or jegulus. yes, they popularised them, but this fandom has revolved around jily for over 10 years. not to mention many of these fics were written from lilys pov, meaning there was so much more depth put into the girls characters. to erase this is to erase the fandoms history.

the diversifying of characters is something amazing that has come more recently with the popularisation of the fandom and thats one of the good parts!! however if someone still views aaron taylor johnson as their james, that doesn’t make them a racist - the man has been james since at least 2006.

another (smaller) thing ive seen is someone will post a song or a photo and attribute it to a jily moment with harry that we can realistically see happening canonically and a comment will say something along the lines of: “this but its how james felt when regulus (insert something that did not happen here)” idk if its the autism but god those always get me a little bit, especially when it includes harry.

similarly, it feels as though people who ship jily are assumed to be less progressive. as a lesbian jily shipper i can’t disagree more. just because a ship is a straight ship does not make it a bad ship - i think we can all agree there are so many amazing LGBTQ+ ships out there now for everyone to enjoy. it does feel quite strange to me to place the two characters who created the child that there are seven books about into different ships, but people like them so its chill!! but when its just complete eradication or discontent with the canon ship… ;(

i also think that to have jegulus be endgame (except aus), a lot of james’s insanely important character traits literally HAVE to be erased. his hatred for death eaters and fight for justice, his unending loyalty to his friends - especially sirius- his black and white view on right and wrong, all of these traits become warped and stretched when it comes to jegulus. of course there isnt much canon to go off of so when people disregard it entirely i can understand it to a degree. but when you erase the important canon points we have on their characters, we are basically just creating oc’s with real characters names.

another thing that i find irksome is the fetishisation of these mlm ships- if youre gonna ship two men together do it right!! why are you calling regulus a cute little baby victim and james a big strong protector!! let them be complex and messy or dont do it at all! not to mention the erasure of a lot of wlw ships... lowkey gives girl who has gay boy best friend that thinks lesbians are weird… anyways off topic! ive heard people say its not fetishisation, its because the female characters arent written with depth- that’s why people read jegulus and wolfstar! okay? go give the girls some depth? regulus is a character we basically know nothing about canonically and youve turned him into a fully fleshed character who is now a lot of peoples favourite - it can be done with the girls too. there is such emphasis placed on wolfstar and jegulus for their deep, tragic love stories - and the marauders friendship in general. the gryffindor girls are right there. dorlene is right there. marylene is right there.

and if it truly werent fetishisation, i would argue that it can be a romanticisation of toxic relationships. a lot of people dislike jily because there is no “angst”. the angst is fighting in a war at 21 years old. the angst is lily and james’s differing blood statuses and the implications this has on their lives. the angst is having a prophecy hanging over their unborn child’s head that forces them into hiding. the angst is being betrayed by their best friend, leading them to sacrifice themselves for their family and the wizarding world. the angst is literally right there, but because their relationship is healthy and happy- one of the only things in their lives that is not full of pain- they are deemed boring.

again, i dont hate jegulus. i especially dont dislike anyone who likes the ship and gets something out of it. but there is so much change this fandom has gone through since their introduction and popularisation that has made interacting with the fandom as a whole almost unbearable sometimes, and thats what i do hate.

all in all, multishippers definitely have the most fun.

[bibucktrashpanda]

Princess Part 2

Okay this plot bunny won't leave me alone and all the notes and reblogs made me happy so I am just going to write while inspiration strikes. I am not sure if there will be more of this but I also didn't know there was going to be a part two. Warning for language. Not beta'ed, we die like Buck's heterosexuality.

Summary: Tommy loves his boyfriend and honestly it's not fair that he now has two sets of puppy eyes to resist. Link to part 1 below.

Princess Part 2

Tommy knows that he is fucked the moment he sees the photo from Eddie. 

It’s almost 4 am and he has just gotten home from a rough shift but he isn’t tired. He just wants Evan but knows Evan won’t be home for a few hours. 

Climbing into bed without his lover is anathema for him after a shift that was filled with casualties and so he decides to catch up on some chores. He knows better than to fuck around with Evan’s kitchen so he doesn’t do much more than helping himself to a Tupperware of leftovers that have his name in a heart on a sticky note on top of it. 

He is about to eat it standing at their counter but than hears even’s voice lecturing him about respecting the animal that gave its life for the meat in the lasagna even if it had come from the farmers market from a small farm owned by a lesbian couple in their 50’s that Evan has charmed and has been invited to visit. Evan had gone on a research binge on industrial farming and by the end Tommy hasn’t even been able to look at packaged meat in the grocery store without feeling nauseous and heartbroken. 

So Tommy takes his food to the unfinished breakfast nook and sits down to eat it, mindfully. He snorts thinking about the ‘demure’ meme that even has been quoting nonstop for weeks after learning about it from Christopher. 

He is just finishing when his phone chirps with an incoming text. The preview is just a gaudy gif of an “It’s a girl” banner. Confused, he clicks on it to see a photo of Evan cradling a tiny puppy to his chest which looks massive next to the tiny pup. A follow up text from Eddie reads “Congrats on becoming a dog dad. Her name is Princess and nothing is going to pry her out of Evan’s hands. You are so fucked.”

Tommy has to agree. The focus of the photo is the puppy but Tommy can still see the expression on Evan’s face, one that he is familiar with because Evan looks at him like that all the time, pure love. 

He is so fucked. 

Because he can be a bitch he texts back to Eddie “I mean I’m not fucked at the moment but Evan generally is very thorough. Let me know which vet you end up at?” And while Evan is the notorious list maker out of the two of them, Tommy can appreciate a good list and starts making a list of supplies they need for their newest family member, while ignoring Eddie's response of "MY EYES". 

**** 

An hour later he gets a text from Evan with an address and a request. “Her throat is bruised from her collar, can you swing by a store and pick up a puppy chest harness? This is one has good reviews and should be in stock at this  24 hour Petco and meet me at the vet?”

He smiles and responds “You’ve been busy. Aren’t you forgetting something?”

He is already moving to the door when he gets a response from Evan. It’s a photo of Evan, changed out of his turnouts, pouting, holding up the puppy, who is clean and awake. Both of them are staring at the camera with two sets of blue eyes and surprisingly the puppy has a black patch of fur over her left eye which almost matches up with Evan’s birthmark. 

Christ, he’s whipped. How is he supposed to hold out against two sets of puppy eyes one of which is from an actual puppy??

The text below the photo reads “Please, Daddy?”

He is so fucked. “Not in front of the kid!  Fine, you brat. See you in a little bit.”

The next photo is Evan grinning as the Princess licks his cheek. 

He is just getting to the store when he gets another text. “Uh, since you are going to the store anyway, pretty please?” with the pleading face emoji  and a list of supplies that pretty well matches the list he jotted down earlier. He sends Evan a photo of his list resting in the small basket of a shopping cart with the eye rolling emoji. 

The sky is just beginning to brighten when Tommy pulls up to the emergency vet, he should be exhausted but he finds that he is excited to meet Princess and to see Evan. 

The receptionist looks up as he enters with one of his shopping bags. “You must be Tommy?”

He nods and raises an eyebrow at her. “Mr. Buckley said to imagine the most gorgeous man i have ever seen and then double it. I can see what he means.” 

He chuckles and follows as she leads him back. “I mean I would describe him the same way.” 

Before she can respond they enter a room where Evan is sitting on the floor bad leg extended out, puppy snoozing pressed up against the inside. Evan is lightly petting her with one hand and scrolling on his phone with the other, humming softly. 

Tommy’s heart melts into a puddle and he quickly snaps a photo before Buck looks up. 

“Hey.” He says softly, crouching down next to Buck to give him a quick peck. 

“Thanks for coming.” Evan smiles at him. Tommy smiles back. “Of course.” It’s become a thing, echoing this exchange from what Evan calls their actual first date. In the back of his head he is toying with the idea of getting ‘of course’ engraved on the engagement ring he has had picked out since just after the Billy Boil incident. He stood at the  edge of that grave, listening to his ridiculous boyfriend eulogize a man who had been dead for over a century and knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that he wanted to spend the rest of his life indulging this man whose heart seemed to have infinite capacity. 

“So what happened?” He asks, wrapping an arm around Evan who leans into him. 

“I found her tangled under a bush as I was doing a check of a yard of a burnt out house. She was cold and crying and couldn’t free herself. Turns out she belonged to the family that lived there and didn’t make it. The one relative the police could find hates dogs and was just going to drop her off at a shelter.” Evan turned to him “I couldn’t let that happen, not when bully breeds don’t have a good adoption rate! She’s already traumatized.” His voice is distressed and Tommy presses a kiss to his birthmark. “Shhhh, of course you couldn’t.” He murmurs against the pink skin which is one of his favorite things about Evan. 

He settles in next to Evan and stares down at the puppy who is blinking awake. Closer he can see that she resembles a pitbull or at least mostly pitbull, with black freckles on her white nose.  The rest of her seems to be white except for the tip of her tail which looks like she dipped it in an inkwell and is wagging so quickly he almost expects to see a cartoon cloud of dust poofing up. 

“Hi Princess.” He holds his hand by her, letting her choose to come to him. She stumbles over and all but shoves her head into his palm. She is soft and Tommy already loves her. 

“Taking after your pop with that grace.” He teases stroking her back. Evan makes a noise and he looks up to see Evan gazing at him smiling softly.

He looks back down at Princess who is trying to climb up his leg and gently picks her up to cradle her between him and Evan. 

“Welcome to the family, honey,” He whispers as Evan brings a hand up to stroke her. They have a lot to do and he can feel the exhaustion settling into his bones, but there is nowhere in the world he would rather be then here, cuddled up with the love of his life and their new puppy. 

[soldiergf]

making a part two to a previous post i made where i complained about the whole lesbian representation thing (once again so sorry for the long post, ima put a TLDR at the end) i saw on one of @holyblanchett ‘s asks someone mentioned that a show about middle aged women dealing with their trauma really started to stray away from that storyline, and how the story of sisterhood got pushed aside just to focus on the agatha/billy mentor/student storyline and i couldn’t agree more

also i know that this tackles some controversial as fuck topics and i know i’m gonna have people disagreeing with me and i realize i def could’ve said all of this in a better way but honestly, the anon really got me thinking and now i’m just even more pissed and this needs to be said (and ofc this is js my opinion)

anyways, the ironic thing is, i highly doubt jac and all the other writes and directors went in thinking this way. i do not, at all, believe that this was done on purpose. i just don’t believe that. what i do think that happened is that we, as a society, are so so so used to dealing with misogyny and we’re so used to hearing that younger is better that those sort of things just kind of stuck with us, whether or not we wanted it to.

the whole motherhood storyline with agatha was heartbreaking and should not be considered as just another way of fitting her a stereotypical woman category. motherhood is a beautiful thing and this was such an integral part of agatha’s story. however, we have been so accustomed to hearing that motherhood is a must-have for women that it’s become something that several (not all) people associate with “typical female roles” which is said because plenty of women/afab people enjoy being mothers and are excited to be a mother and motherhood is a beautiful thing (side note: if you are/want to be a mother that is amazing for you and don’t think i’m saying fuck motherhood cs that’s not what this is at all)

so, for me at least, it’s not the focus on agatha’s role as a mom that pisses me off. i love how her relationship with her son shows where some of her anger stems from, i love how well they incorporated that storyline into the show. but for me, it’s the that fact that motherhood is literally one of the biggest female stereotypes and like i said i don’t believe this was intentional what so ever but a story that basically says fuck stereotypes is being so stereotypical. like i said it sucks

and i know they did this to play into the whole maiden mother crone thing which was such a prominent thing in the show but still it doesn’t feel fair

also the whole “lesbian romance getting lowk pushed aside for a gay boy” thing co-insides with the whole “accidental sexist depections of womenhood situation” like i said before, we are so used to hearing that younger is better and billy is just that - young and he’s a boy. (i really really need to specify: no hate towards joe locke what so ever i truly mean it fuck u if ur hating he had nth to do with the writing and he does not deserve any hate)

so, yeah, like i said this probably could’ve been written better and i do believe any of this is one persons fault, no hate to ANY of the creators or cast they’re all amazing people and ultimately this show has been a huge step up when it comes to representation and has progressed so so much from so many other disney projects and shows and movies but still, this is js smth that bugged me sm and i rly felt it needed to be addressed in length cs this is js the same story, different show and i hate how accustomed society has become to stuff like this.

TLDR: people have become so used to gender roles and the idea that younger is better that even in a show that is a huge step up on disneys part when it comes to representation, we still have so far to go and i felt like this needed to be addressed but ultimately no hate to any of the cast or creators

[joanthangroff]

gcau commentary: part 1 chapters 1-5

here we go @sophiainspace @simpledontmeanpeachy

Part 1 Chapter 1:

The opening notes are already so funny: “I'm having a freaking writer's block and to fight it y'all are getting a groupchat based on one of my AU ideas,” it reads. As if this isn’t gonna become my biggest pride and joy.

I think I already wrote about the story this was originally supposed to be, but now is a great time to share it again: I had an idea for a Westhallen College AU where Eddie transfers and meets Iris, who invites him to the LGBT Club. There’s been two scenes I’d thought up so far:

Eddie witnesses Mick stealing Iris’ wallet – this could’ve been the opening scene, maybe. Anyway, Eddie tells Iris about it and she’s just completely nonchalant. Apparently, this happens regularly.

The first meeting! There were actually more Rogues to be around, I think I had actually included Axel and Mark. Definitely Shawna as a mean lesbian instead of Linda. Caitlin/Ronnie/Cisco were still dating, but Ronnie made a comment about how Cisco should finally sleep with Hartley so they’d get rid of the tension. Hartley and Snart kept making out.

Now, let’s dive into the actual fic.

Haha, Cisco and Hartley immediately bitching at each other. I think I knew right from the start that they’d end up canon.

“when will you make bi your pronouns” Snart takes no prisoners 😀

Ronnie being bi-everything is actually the first meta joke of the whole fic! I wanted something to refer to Firestorm being made up of two people, so I figured bi Ronnie would be perfect. And then I wanted everything about xem to scream bi.

The fact that half those people are around 20/21 is killing me. Like. I was that age when I started this series! I am almost 30 now! Fucks me up, and I don’t know whether it’s in a good or bad way.

Cisco who accidentally flirts with girls. Top tier headcanon of mine. I think I didn’t actually do anything with that, did I?

Snart and Eddie being civil 🥹 Enjoy it while it lasts, huh?

“who sucks i do not suck,” Linda says, as if she doesn’t say she’s sucked dick a few lines down. Maybe she didn’t get THE FIRST INNUENDO OF THE SERIES CAN I GET A HELL YEAH!!

Snart immediately hitting on Bar. Young love <3

Do you know how often I correct people about the correct plural of “penis”. Do you know how often I think of this exact scene.

First of Eddie’s incest jokes!!! They’re so stupid, I’ll admit that sometimes I thought they’d fall completely flat but I also felt like Eddie would never miss out on them. No matter how bad they are. And I’m glad nobody took actual offense at them.

Part 1 Chapter 2:

“guy doesn't even know oliver and roasts him. lov u fellow bi” - The beginning of a legendary (hah) friendship.

Snart wanting to be all mysterious about whether they’re criminals or not and Mick just admitting to it. I love them.

FIRST HORNY!HARTLEY

The way I had Bar and Sara drop knowledge about Eddie without explaining how they know him. And nobody even questions it. I guess they just aren’t as nosy yet <3

“eddiethawne changed their username to detectiveprettybi” as he should!

Ah, there I explain how Bar knows Eddie. But when will we learn about Sara?

Everyone immediately agreeing that Mick should NOT take criminology is so funny, actually.

LESBIANDA!!! there she is!

There comes the Ronnie/Cait/Cisco OT3 drop!!

Part 1 Chapter 3:

Having Iris do some kind of essay was such a weird excuse to have them all drop facts about themselves, to be honest. But I couldn’t think of a better way to have them settle into this and I kinda wanted to give people an overview about how the AU is affecting everyone’s family life. My brain wouldn’t let me live if I hadn’t, for example, established that Oliver’s dad is still dead. Or, of course, that Henry is still in prison.

Oh, I remember how I had Cisco jotted down as Colombian at first – because Carlos is Colombian. Someone taught me that Cisco is actually canonically Puerto Rican, so I changed that.

I did keep the actors’ ethnicities for Linda and Snart, though. Half-Black Leonard Snart was super important for me to include.

Did Mick still kill his family? We will never know.

“im an orphan at heart” yes, you are!

“my parents are fucking homophobes” - “but at least they have money” - “fucking great im gonna buy myself a pony” Another line I think of often. Hartley has some bangers!

Coldbar being gay as hell already, what the fuck

And then Snart has to establish that the others are probably cute, too, haha. First mention of his violence kink, too!

Linda being weirded out by Snart? Oh honey, you’ve got a big storm coming.

God, okay, there’s me mentioning QPPs before I fully understood what queerplatonic relationships are. Which is to say, I totally see Snart and Mick in a QPR – they just aren’t in one in this fic! Very clearly so. I wrote an interlude years later where I retconned that – especially since it’d literally never mentioned again.

“:3c” what the fuck, Snart

And then he goes and calls Bar and Cisco nerds, as if he isn’t one himself. Why didn’t I let Mick call him out on that?

Part 1 Chapter 4:

Bar’s first glimpse of Snart being the most unhinged version is so funny. Like, why is he even puring energy drink into his coffee? Snart, it’s literally the second or third week of the semester. Why are you so tired.

Iris blaming Bar for putting the idea of studying psychology in her head <3 Callback to canon where she mentions that Barry convinced her to take journalism, only that in this she doesn’t actually study journalism, soooo….

Sara bullying Oliver is something that can be so personal, actually.

Wonky Olicity timeline!! Can’t believe I said they’d only dated for a year at that point – they feel so much more established later on. And I think I literally do say they dated for longer, at some point. But who cares? (Let’s see how much I will care. Maybe I’ll adjust this at some point.)

Mick having been rich for three hours is so funny, too. In case you missed it: it’s the tiniest reference to LoT’s season 1 episode “Star City 2046”. I loved seeing Mick in that fur coat.

“y’all are weird” – Ronnie Raymond, 2017. I bet this isn’t gonna bite us in the ass, huh?

Part 1 Chapter 5:

Mick immediately snuffing out that Snart is the guy whom Bar found so hot. Makes you wonder how Snart might have acted at home. Considering he’s taking out Bar only minutes later, he’s probably acted like a stereotypical teenage girl and changed clothes twenty times until he was satisfied.

Nyssara having loud cybersex. As they should.

Hartley established as Hard of Hearing! I don’t even know if I was fully aware of comic!Hartley at that point or if I just read that fact somewhere and went of with it.

Though I gotta say, weird choice of mine to have CAIT be surprised to learn that. You’d think Ronnie would have mentioned a Deaf student in his class. Though I guess I hadn’t thought about that particular friendship just then.

High School rivals Hartmon, my beloved <3

FIRST COLDBAR DATE!! It happens so early already 😭😭

Iris live-blogging this whole event is so random. And the first of many!

„you know gossiping isnt all so subtle when YOU DO IT RIGHT IN FRONT OF MY FACE“ – Snart is so real for this.

Iris is so supportive of them rn. Why does she turn so hostile later, I wonder.

Oh my God, this is when Iris and Eddie first hook up, too????

I love the tradition of Mick ending chapters. He does feel like the kind of guy to have the last word.

[nolongernyny]

1:23 a.m, oh lord this is my brain turning off.

As an Alutegra shipper, I am annoyed with how people treat us like fucking weirdos or sort of pedophiles and lesbophobic and also transphobic for some reason I won’t even try to understand.

I mean, I get it if your principal headcanon on Integra is that she’s a beautiful gnc butch lesbian, I might even like it to certain point, but , you gotta understand that doesn’t make you have the right to shit on people for different headcanons.

I do not see Integra as a lesbian, but if you do, that’s very great! I love seeing people relate to characters and also make them part of important representation (in this case, gnc lesbian woc). However, don’t try to call me or any other alutegra shipper a lesbophobic scum for something YOU took as canon.

As a lesbian myself, I truly cannot comprehend what is it that make you perceive Integra Hellsing so much as a lesbian to the point you gotta try and hate anyone who disagrees with you.

“Oh but the finger scene with Seras..” oh, please, lord. Did we forgot what fan service is? I could even take this for granted if Alutegra wasn’t so HEAVILY implied in all Hellsing.

Personally, I dont care about Serastegra, the fanarts are cute ofc !! But it’s just me who sees them rather than grumpy mom who deep inside is depressed and needs helps recovering but is too stubborn to admit it x sunshine daughter who is completely aware of her mom’s mental health and tries her best to make her laugh.

The curious thing is, people who hate alutegra also sees Alu and Tegra’s dynamic like some sort of father figure x daughter. And.. you know, as much as I respect it, I don’t really like it and think you should get checked if you believe Alucard and Integra are the first thing that comes to mind when you think of a father-daughter relationship.

Allow me to elaborate. Many people argue that watching Integra grow into an adult makes Alucard the man who raised her—which is funny because it seems you guys are blind towards the existence of Walter— and how him being a blood sucking bastard doesn’t mean he can’t be a good dad —kinda agree with this, keep it in mind for a minute!— but, aren’t we missing something?

Please, please, please. Just remember what Alucard did say to Integra after she confronted him about killing his uncle’s guards “I feel such a rage swelling between my legs” , first this is such an inappropriate thing to say to a teenage girl but again, this isn’t some sparkling vampire, this is Alucard, a morally grey character, not only that but also how the thing about vampires is them being very.. yeah, morally grey and inhuman, their reasoning is outside of human ethics and morals even if they were one on some point. And second of all, how could you.. call Alucard Integra’s father figure after that ? Do you really think that’s the man that raised her ? And not the human butler that probably changed her diapers ? Lord have mercy.

So, okay. Let’s give you the benefit of the doubt and think “That’s because they were just meeting” alright, alright. Let’s see.

Do you think that, do you honestly think that this man who is getting all giggly when this woman yells at him that he needs to kill —which she knows is something that gets his blood boiling, mind you—after hearing how his servant literally begged her for her orders, specifically her command to search and destroy everything just to satisfy her need of justice? And, why not, his thirst for violence as well? Come on, you can’t hear Sir Integra panting and Alucard asking her if she’s getting wet by all the atrocities that’s happening and say “mm, yes, completely father figure behavior.”

Oh? Not enough? What about her softening her voice when Vladcard appears on screen, calling him “My count” on the sweetest tone possible, while he kneels down to her and addresses her as “My countess”?

God don’t get me started on Hellsing Ultimate end, it might be the solid proof of Alutegra being basically canon.

Oh, and yes, do you remember what I told you to keep in mind? That Alucard regardless of being a monster can be a good dad? Well, I agree with it. Just not with Integra, allow me to introduce you to Seras Victoria.

Alucard might not be Integra’s father figure, but do you know who is seeing him as that? Seras. All the time they spend together, it’s as heavily implied as Alutegra.

Alucard trained her, showed her everything about being a vampire when she had no guidance, allowed her to have a second opportunity to “live”, and was there to show how proud he was of her upon seeing Seras after consuming Pip’s soul, addressing her by her name for the first time. And also patting her head.

That scene was so adorable.

Yes, here ends my rant. Might write an essay on this topic when I get to university lmao, but yes, here I am, entering into shipping discourse like tiktok mfs.

And no, this doesn’t mean I hate Aluseras or serastegra shippers.. I just hate how some of them imply so many ugly things about us Alutegra shippers. Also, might be off topic, but I really feel uncomfortable around AluSeras shippers.. am I the only one?

Anyways, enjoy your year, enjoy your life, and let others enjoy it too!

[feminist-furby-freak]

Well can you explain Gender Ideology with who uses it and where? Can you show where I can find it? Can you describe it without conspiracy theory or recycled homophobia? You are welcome to try.

So I think some of the confusion might come from the language. I know you’re being facetious with this comment but anyway. I am literally a gender studies major so this will probably be more in depth than what you’re asking but maybe someone can benefit.

Gender Ideology™️ isn’t some sort of official concept and doesn’t have an agreed upon definition or foundational text like other social theories. It’s a way of conceptualizing sex and gender. Other analogous frameworks would be biblical gender roles, the Christian fundamentalist ideas of men and women, or postmodernist queer theory, something like Butler’s Gender Performativity.

You’re right that gender ideology is vague and non-specific and I think this is because of the interaction between academia, politics, medicine, and popular culture. Sure, academics and theorists influence society, but rarely in such a direct way (please feel free to correct me). For example, the American civil rights movement and women’s liberation movement had academic elements, but were not governed by how academics theorized race and sex, they were based on people’s lived experiences. Transgenderism, I think, is the opposite and somewhat of an escaped lab experiment. Towards the end of the 20th century, academics began to write about gender in more provocative and philosophical ways. Obviously, this was not the first time anyone had done this, but there was a huge shift in the way academic spaces thought about gender in the US after women achieved full legal rights (which didn’t happen until the 1970s btw). I’m sure the fact that women and gays/lesbians could finally be scholars and professors was important as well. Anyway, I might disagree with Butler, but her theory work is at least intellectually robust. And if you read Butler, it’s very obvious that she is first and foremost a philosopher, not a sociologist or an anthropologist, and this is clear when you hear her speak (which I’ve done btw). Contemporary transgenderism, as a social category, is a direct result of these theorists. There is a lot of misrepresenting or even rewriting history but “transgender” as we understand it today did not exist 20 years ago. We like to call people like Marsha P Johnson transgender, but he didn’t identify that way. He called himself a gay man, a cross dresser, a drag queen, a transvestite etc etc. TRAs often say “trans people have always existed” and homosexual behavior and gender nonconformity (and maybe even sex dysphoria) have always existed but trans as a concept undeniably has not. I could talk a lot more about historical falsehoods and Transgenderism but for the sake of getting to the point I’ll move on for now.

Gender ideology, is how groups like radfems refer to the Frankenstein monstrosity that is the framework Western left/progressives use today to think about gender and sex in order to be inclusive to transgender identifying people. The main ideas are that biological sex is not real and neither is sex-based oppression. It maintains that social and medical transition is necessary for transgender people to live, and that medicine is able to change someone’s biological sex (it can’t). Being transgender is not just dysphoria but some innate sense that someone’s soul is differently gendered than their biological sex (except biological sex is also somehow not real, one of many paradoxes). A woman is “someone who identifies a woman,” even though this phrase is completely meaningless. Because gender is not tied to biology sex, it relies on social ideas. As a result, gender ideology reinforces regressive gender roles and stereotypes, without which it cannot exist. 20 years ago we said boys can play with dolls and it doesn’t mean they’re gay because gender stereotypes aren’t innate and are very harmful, today “we” say that boys who play with dolls are actually girls and need to be given a pink makeover and put on medication. While society was beginning to move away from gender, gender ideology has brought it back to the center and gender is once again considered to be central to one’s identity (and personality) and maybe even the most important fact about them. For this reason “misgendering” and similar actions are considered violent attacks on personhood. Crucially, gender ideology converges with conservative gender ideals through its obsession with gender and performing femininity and masculinity.

[juniperhillpatient]

I keep seeing people say Mari/Shauna would’ve been a much better replacement for Melissa/Shauna & I think it’s time to say my piece & say that just simply doesn’t make any sense & if you think it does then you just don’t understand what’s actually happening.

Okay wait let me try to be nicer about it. I actually REALLY enjoy the Mari & Shauna dynamic & push & pull of it. A lot. I can even agree that as of now there’s some lost potential with the dynamic. I say “as of now” because who knows? Something interesting even if it’s not romantic could still come of their complicated frienemyship. The fact that Jackie used Mari to make Shauna jealous but then Mari took Shauna’s side in the breakup is interesting. And like… this season started off with Shauna & Mari having some pretty serious & interesting back & forth push & pull power struggles amplified by Mari’s incident with soft core kidnapping by Coach Ben & the subsequent trial.

It’s not that Mari/Shauna isn’t interesting to me it’s just that for THIS storyline & the direction Shauna’s canon character arc is going, it would NOT make ANY sense.

Teen Melissa’s purpose this season is pretty clear. She is a mirror for Shauna & Jackie’s dynamic. She is there to let Shauna treat her the way Shauna believes Jackie treated HER.

We get to truly see how warped Shauna’s vision of her relationship with Jackie has become as she is absolutely HORRIBLE to Mel in ways Jackie never was to her. Jackie’s ghost (which is really just a manifestation of Shauna’s grief) demeans her & tells her that Jeff only wants her because Jackie made her into someone else. Shauna tells Melissa she’s nothing & shoots a gun at her. She’s amplifying the abuse she perceives herself to have faced whether she did or not. She’s taking out her rage on Melissa.

I’m not saying these plot points could’ve NEVER happened with Mari but…. Wait yes I am actually 😂

Mari would NEVER lay back & take Shaunas shit the way Teen Mel does. She would NOT make Shauna a sheath for her knife. And she would NOT years later later talk about Shauna scaring the shit out of her. Mari might write a tell all or star in a documentary but that bitch would NOT in a million years guilt mary the daughter of the woman she killed & fake her own death & live some fake ass delusional normal life that conveniently perfectly mirrors Shauna’s fake ass delusional normal life exactly. It just wouldn’t happen. These plotlines just do not work with her character. It wouldn’t make sense. It wouldn’t lead to the arc Shauna is getting. If Shauna & Mari had a thing it might be interesting but the seasons plot would be entirely different. Like it just wouldn’t involve the same plot beats we have now at all.

I do kind of agree that there is lost potential in a fucked up toxic lesbian dynamic between Shauna & Mari. But I ALSO love the direction they’ve gone. Shauna getting to be in a reversed funhouse mirror fucked up relationship where she gets to be the abuser the way she imagined Jackie was to her? Chefs kiss. Shauna encountering a woman whose life is just as much of a lie as hers & forcing that person to revert to the ways of the wilderness? Amazing.

Mari & Melissa are both interesting characters & they both have a fun & interesting dynamic with Shauna. I’m not against shipping Mari & Shauna but I do think it’s worth noting that if they got together the plot & everything about the show would be entirely different & (to me anyway!) this season HAS been really good. I really really like where they’re going with Melissa & I think it’s kind of misunderstanding both Mel AND Mari to pretend that they’re like… interchangeable when that is just simply not even close to true.

The beauty of Yellowjackets is that there are SO many interesting characters & dynamics at play. There’s always going to be interesting ships that couldn’t be made canon. That’s what fanfic is for & that’s what our imaginations are for. When it comes to analyzing canon I just DO not agree that Mari/Shauna is interchangeable with Melissa/Shauna & I truly can’t understand why anyone does.

There I’ve said my piece. There were too many posts implying that these ships could be like… traded in for each other & I got annoyed. Anyway I can’t fucking WAIT for the finale tomorrow ahhh!

[copper-16]

Genuine question here, I hope this doesn’t come off as rude.

I don’t understand why people are hanging this over korbin alberts head so much. Yes I agree she made a mistake, but as lesbian who grew up in a very catholic town, it is against that religion to support the LGBTG+ community. Which is a main reason I left that religion.

There is a difference between supporting and showing respect for a community and while I think she hasn’t shown any to enough respect. I don’t believe she is entirely obligated to apologize for following apart of her religion.

Hope u have a great day🫶

I understand what you are trying to convey, however I have to say that I respectfully disagree with you.

I don’t find religion to be a complete excuse for this, because at the end of the day her actions are the problem, not her religion. I do understand what you’re saying about the fact that she might have grown up in an environment that was very anti LGBTQ+. Perhaps Korbin did grow up in this kind of a church, but that’s doesn’t mean that she still can’t be held accountable for how her actions hurt those around her.

I respect Korbin Albert’s choice to be religious, even if I am not so myself. But her religion cannot be used to perpetuate hatred. There’s a loss of mutual respect and trust between a community and a person when they like or interact with such openly hateful content in such a way. I look at players like Sam Coffey, who are religious and yet still chooses to be allies and not say anything hateful against LGBTQ+ people. Maybe it is Sam’s belief that marriage is between a man and woman, but this isn’t something she imposes to others. And I also don’t see her saying any hateful things toward the LGBTQ+ community.

The reason I find that many people are “holding this over her head” is because her actions were public and hurt a LOT of people. She also appears to show little remorse about it what she has said. I think Sam Mewis put this rather well in saying that because her actions were public, her apology and continuation of learning should be (at least to some extent). We aren’t just going to sweep this under the rug and move on. She is still accountable for her actions.

Under no circumstances does religion justify the perpetration of hate.

There would be a similar reaction towards a player who was equally opposed to the LGBTQ+ community if they weren’t religious. If a completely secular player did or said similar things without a religious reasoning behind it, people would be equally outraged. The conflict at its core is about the actions.

I’m not planning to answer anymore asks on this particular topic on my page moving forward

[nimbusalba]

Neil Gaiman, my thoughts and my love for good omens

I already said something about all this deal with Neil Gaiman yesterday in another blog. But I still have Things To Say, so here it comes (with links to all the info):

Here is the article (thank you @procrastiel)

Here is a link to the podcasts for free (thank you @queermarzipan)

Here is the Xitter post with the accusations podcast thingy (thank you @embracing-the-ineffable)

Here is the transcript of the first podcast episode.

The Main Thing I Have To Say:

We need to separate the author from his work (and with this I’m not speaking only about Neil Gaiman). While we might not agree with some things about the author's life or thoughts, that doesn't mean we can not keep enjoying their work, as long as that work is not morally unacceptable, obviously. Let’s take the example of one of my favorite tv shows of all time (other than good omens): Buffy The Vampire Slayer (and with this I’m showing my age here, ahem). Buffy is a magnificent show, a wonderful exponent of feminism (strong female protagonist and secondary characters), diversity (one of the main characters is a lesbian), critical thinking, death, love, inner strength, battling your own demons… As we all know, accusations of harassment against Joss Wheddon appeared in 2020 and a lot of his work was left behind. I agree that knowing that the creator of something you love is an abuser breaks your heart. But that doesn’t mean that you have to stop loving that show, that it stops being a great work of art or that you should feel bad for still liking it. Buffy the vampire slayer is still one of my favorite shows and I still rewatch it from time to time (not on loop as I do with good omens, but that’s another problem). And why? Simply because in that show a lot of very talented people worked very hard to make it great, not just Joss Wheddon. And I appreciate it even more now knowing that the actresses and actors (and rest of the crew)  in the series didn’t have as good a time filming it as they should have. 

My take on this story:

I’ve already said that my first impulse is always to side with the victims in these cases, because they rarely lie and the accusations tend to be proven true in the end. In this particular case, for the time being, I’m waiting for developments, as the information that has transpired is fishy, to say the least. I’m not defending Neil Gaiman either, mind you. Maybe tomorrow we will find another 20 people accusing him of abuse. I don’t know him nor pretend to know what he’s done in his life. For the time being, as I said yesterday, this looks to me like consensual sex between consenting adults. That shouldn’t be news to anyone, even if the practices in themselves are not your kind of kink. It’s not on to have sex with someone who is working for you, of course, but still in this particular case that’s not exactly what’s happened. The woman in question (Scarlett) was a friend of the family, not strictly a worker. They already had a friendship relationship before turning it into a sexual relationship and a working relationship on top of that. With this I’m only trying to say that it doesn’t look like she felt forced to have sex with him in order to keep her job and she has said that the sex was consensual. The other victim has also said that even if she didn’t particularly enjoy the sex it was also consensual. 

It looks like both victims were pretty young when the relationships took place. It's true that younger people can have problems when it comes to place boundaries, and an older or more experienced partner could take advantage of that. It is also true that later in life, when that person is more experienced or has had time to think about things, they can think about what they did and feel uncomfortable with it, even though it didn’t feel wrong in the heat of the moment and they said nothing then. But, as far as I know, that's not sexual assault.

This looks to me as something that’s been designed to hurt Neil Gaiman’s public image. Maybe he’ll come out of it without any criminal charges, as he has already offered his help to the New Zealand police and they have refused to interrogate him for the time being, apparently because of lack of proof yet. But his public image has been tainted, not only because of the accusations, but because anyone who has their sexual life exposed and discussed publicly suffers a great deal of humiliation, even more so if their sexual practices are not exactly mainstream. With this I’m not implying that BDSM or any other kink is wrong, as long as it is being played by consenting adults. No judgment here, everyone has their own kink, and I don’t care as long as they don’t harm anyone (or if they want to be lightly harmed).

Keep also in mind that one is innocent until proven guilty and in this case there is not a lot of proof yet and the place the news is coming from is suspicious, to say the least. Wait for developments (and see).

Conclusion

So keep loving good omens, I know I still do, keep enjoying it, writing fanfic, drawing amazing art, writing metas and discussing about it. Because this show is still a brilliant show, in which a lot of very talented people worked very hard to make it the wonderful work of art that it still is and we shouldn’t dismiss all that work because someone wants to hurt one of the authors. 

(Edited because of wording)

[saveahorserideaneddie]

No but you’re so right about not wanting to watch season 8 because after how they handled the doppelgänger storyline I don’t want to watch it, with the rumours Gavin isn’t coming back and how this show has handled estranged parents storylines in the past I just have zero faith they’re going to do Eddie any justice especially after they sent him back to before the show levels of development, practically erasing everything we’ve seen him work on from seasons 2-6, like I can just picture the Diaz parents redemption and Eddie thanking them for taking Chris and ignoring everything a little like they did with the Buckleys

And something something this show hates happy queer parents, I don’t know how to really articulate this but like even if they do a gay Eddie storyline now, it’s not sitting right with me that it’s only happening now Chris is gone, like I know Eddie filters life through Chris/doesn’t really know who he is without the parent role etc etc I know that but with the way they treat Henren on the show and the way they treat Denny and Mara’s storylines, it almost seems like they weren’t going to let Eddie figure himself out while also actively parenting—it’s giving the straight grandparents need to save Chris from his gay dad (like they wanted to all along) i don’t know if I’m getting my point across well but it’s giving a “if you’re queer and a parent you will not be happy on this show your kid/s will get taken away from you”

👏👏👏

this. i understand the argument that eddie needs a chance to examine things without looking throughthe Chris lense, but it feels like he absolutely 100% could have had the realization because of Chris. like it would have taken chris saying he views buck as his dad one time and eddie would have spiralled and everything would have begun to fall into place— i get gavin having conflicts due to his move and possibly having to leave the show but there were so many other ways to essentially write him off (yes ik nothing is confirmed and that he very well could come back in a much slimmed down onscreen role such as may/harry) but it feels like they just went “eh… eddie started to reconcile with his dad…. let’s just send chris away even though eddie realistically would not have built up that much trust in this short amount of time (especially w helena)

and i 1000% agree w it mimicking the henren trauma bc why are we targeting the black lesbians with the same storyline we already saw with Nia…. why are we now lumping eddie into the traumatized poc paranoid losing their kid trope? especially if they plan to make him queer?

like i fully understand this show is a drama, but i miss when it was a DRAMA and not a SOAP OPERA… like earlier seasons had their fair amount of dramatic shit going on but this is just ridiculous and some of it feels farcical to me at this point… especially with the handling of buck’s bisexuality where his coming out scene to maddie included a joke about “always checking out a hot guy’s ass” once again reducing his character down to sex even though Buck has grown past that… idk it just rubs me the wrong way that we’re either sex-hungry, sassy, traumatized, or all three in one and it doesn’t sit right with me.

also them actively chosing to make a known problematic character queer just to serve as a plot device for a sexuality arc that didn’t even live up to any potential bc they kissed once, went on a coffe date and bam they’re suddenly together? even for a straight couple that’s such an anticlimactic relationship buildup let alone a queer one… and not only that but using his queerness as an excuse for his racism and misogynistic behavior as a way to sweep it under the rug is so icky to me… like why is the only decently treated canonically queer character Josh??? (even though even he was part of that whole hate crime plot!)

it’s so hard as a queer person to watch other queer people be told by straight people that they should settle for what we have… and that those queer people listen and also somehow think that settling is all we can do. i know it’s easy to settle for shit, but i’m sorry i did not spend six years watching these two build something beautiful to see it thrown away because what they gave us is (not even) “good enough.”

it really is disheartening.

anyway sorry for turning this into another rant post, anon, i just liked your added point of the traumatized queer parent thing and wanted to expand on that some more!

[msschemmenti]

girl in danger - 2

part two

Tuesday, April 29th - Garcia’s Lair

“I really think she’d enjoy a party, thrown and hosted by me.” Garcia shrugged spinning in her chair to face both Emily and JJ. Being off rotation, gave the women an opportunity to chat a bit more than usual, and they were using this freedom to do a bit of planning. “Picture it. Balloons, confetti, cake, drinks. An all-out rager. Oh, it can even be themed, do you think she’d like a rodeo theme or would that be too on the nose?”

JJ laughed openly as Emily tried and failed to hide her amusement. The trio was coming up on the one year anniversary of Y/n’s move to DC. And Garcia was dead set on hosting the move-iversary extravaganza for their favorite southern belle. Now a party had been a little more than JJ and Emily were thinking but now that they’d let Garcia spin out, it should be much easier to reel her back in. “Pen, don’t you think that might be a bit over the top?” Emily urged. 

“Yeah, what would we do for the five-year move-iversary? We can’t use all the good ideas on the first year.” JJ continued, swinging her legs onto Emily’s lap from the table she sat on. 

Garcia falling for their trap nodded instantly, “You’re right! We can’t go too big for year one because there will be so many more to come. Because I refuse to let her move away.” Penelope twirled her troll-top pen and scratched through whatever she’d scribbled initially.

“You and us both.” Emily agreed, squeezing at JJ’s calf affectionately. “We were thinking more along the lines of a surprise girls' night in. She’s been mentioning inviting you over for one anyway. And you can bake those brownies she likes.” 

“Oh yeah, definitely those brownies. I think we all dream about those.” JJ agreed. 

Penelope grinned at the praise but raised an eyebrow skeptically, “Oh I see— and what will you ladies be contributing?” 

“Booze and charm, of course,” Emily answered matter of factly. 

“Not happening sister. How about you still bring the booze but we’ll make it a whole thing where I can teach you two how to make something nice for the woman you love, huh? I think she’d love to see you both stumble your way around the kitchen.” Penelope suggested. 

“Woah there, cool it with those L words. If you didn’t want to make us brownies you could’ve just said so. No need to make us suffer.” Emily huffed. Penelope laughed and swatted at the older woman playfully. 

“Cool it with those L words? Why would I do that? Am I wrong to say Y/n is the woman you both love? And that learning to make her brownies would be a sweet and loving gesture?” 

“Well, no. You’d be right, she just doesn’t know that yet.” JJ supplied with a shrug. 

“You gals haven’t said the L word yet? Don’t lesbians do that like day one? What’s happening here?” Garcia grilled. 

“We’ve not really found the best time to say it. We’re also both torn between how to do it as well.”

“I’ve personally almost said it multiple times now in the throws of passion. I think I might’ve left a mark in Emily’s hand last time at how hard I was biting back the words. It’s not like I don’t mean it wholeheartedly but something about saying post-coital doesn’t really scream romance. Especially since we started this whole thing with sex.”

“I get caught up in the more mundane things, like coming home to her in the kitchen making my favorite dish for dinner. Or when she and JJ get really caught up in their little teasing bickering– it’s just so domestic. But as you can see very different instances here.”

“We also have no idea if she’d be ready for that sort of emotional investment at this point. Just a lot to figure out before we say it.” Emily finished with a shrug. 

“Sounds like a bunch of excuses to me. But you’re both obviously not ready to admit that to yourselves. So I won’t push you, for now. But maybe by the move-iversary party, you’ll both have grown a pair and confessed your undying love for Y/n.”

“Yeah yeah yeah. I guess you have a point, Y/n does love to bake.” 

“And to watch us make fools of ourselves.” JJ added. “She finds it endearing. So Boozy Bakery it is. Which is a hazard all on its own but hopefully with both of you there there’s no way we can burn down the kitchen.”

As her lesson is wrapping up she hears someone down the hall in a practice room but it’s empty when she goes to check. She chalks it up to her late night with her girlfriends, the stress of finals, and needing to sleep, so she heads home for the night. 

“Claire, I want you to squat every time you feel like the note is too high for you,” Y/n instructed, standing in front of the teen to demonstrate. 

“You want me to exercise and sing? The singing is hard enough!” Claire groaned but sat into the squat mirroring Y/n. Over the last hour, Claire had really opened up. And in doing so Y/n seemed to have unlocked a new more comfortable version of her student. And apparently this version of Claire had a lot of complaining to do.

“Listen, Claire, I really don’t think this song is too high for you. You just need to engage your core a bit more to get more volume and strength behind the higher notes.” Claire stood to her full height and opened her mouth to complain again but Y/n frowned and pushed down on her shoulders to put her back in the squat. “Hey now, cryin won’t fill the corn crib. Let’s take it from the top and then I’ll let you go for the night.” 

Claire’s confusion was clear on her face but Y/n turned back to the piano and waited for Claire to queue her up. Usually she’d have the student’s accompanist play while she worked and watched for any physical fixes but Miguel couldn’t make it, so she’d have to multi-task. She and Claire fumbled their way through her song, Y/n reminding her of all the things they’d been working through and Claire settling into a couple unnecessary squats. But they made it through. 

“I don’t know why you act so shy in class, it’s clear you have a lot to say.” Y/n teased as they both gathered their things to leave. 

“I’m a freshman and most of the people in that class are like old.” Claire shrugged. 

Y/n placed her hand over her heart, “Well, slap me with a wet noodle, that stung a little. Claire, honey just because they’re older than you doesn’t mean you can’t speak or participate in workshops.” 

“I guess. I’ll try next class. Could we do this again before the recital?” 

“Of course, next Tuesday okay? That way you can get a rehearsal in before dress rehearsal Thursday and the actual recital that Friday.” Claire agreed easily and Y/n led them both out of her office for the night. The halls were dark seeing as most people were gone for the night but after locking her office Y/n and Claire headed for the exit. As they hit the end of the hallway Y/n turned to address Claire, “Good night Claire, be careful getting back to your room.” 

“Yes ma’am, my roommate is waiting for me outside. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Claire waved goodbye and Y/n watched her link arms with a student outside and disappear down the steps of the building. With Claire safely dismissed, Y/n headed for the faculty lot. She checked for any lingering colleagues and any forgotten lights on her way through the building but ultimately came up empty. Just as she passed the last practice room in the building, she heard what sounded like a door clicking shut behind her. She turned to look over her shoulder in confusion– she could’ve missed someone– but the hallway was empty. All the lights were off and the the only true source of light was the glowing red from the exit sign. She waited a bit longer in the quiet to see if there were any more noises, but the hallway remained still. Maybe she was more tired than she thought. These 12+ hour days were hardly conducive to a sharp mind.

Y/n pushed out of the door and through the parking lot with a sigh. She still had an entire week and a half of these long days– she couldn’t be hallucinating this early on. Sliding into her car, she readied herself for the trek home and then started prepping herself to withstand JJ’s ever-persuasive ways. That woman was far too skilled at keeping Y/n up later than necessary.